Seeking Shalom: The Bible's Vision for Peace
Reflections on the Bible's vision of peace, cycles of discord, and God's mission to heal in a world full of strife, conflict, and violence
The world continues to be ravaged by war, famine, and violence.
We know of the current war taking place between Israel and Palestine.
We know of the ongoing conflicts in the Congo.
We still see conflicts of varying scales in our own communities and nations.
I think back to the Fall of 2020. At that time, I attended two candlelight vigils at my local university:
one focused on commemorating the life of Breonna Taylor and many other Black men and women killed through police violence
and the other commemorating the lives lost due to SARS and governmental corruption in Nigeria and the various plight of African nations
I remember for the first vigil holding the candle and trying my best to keep the flame going despite the cold autumn air blowing against it.
Our own attempts to find and fully grasp peace, individually and as a people, can be compared to this flickering candle flame.
At one moment we feel like the flame is solid—a moment of joy— but the next second another blast of wind threatens to snuff it out — another threat, another murder, another assault, injustice, another theft.
This is not how things should be.
What would it look like for our world to know peace?
To know a peace that will not flicker?
To witness a peace that cannot be snuffed out?
What does Christianity have to say about our deep longing for lasting peace?
Peace Defined: Shalom
The Old Testament (referred to as the TanaHk in Judaism) in the Bible has a particular Hebrew term for peace called “shalom” (שׁלום). As I studied the concept of shalom, I became amazed at the rich layers of meaning in it.
The Hebrew term “shalom” in the Scriptures refers to wholeness, completeness, order, rest, security, connectedness, and harmony. This term speaks to the idea of vitality in all dimensions of life. It is holistic. It can be used to mean to refer to cessation of hostilities (such as in war) but its fullest definition includes the presence of abundance, safety and well-being.
This understanding of peace is a different understanding of peace that I think many of us are used to. I do think however it really speaks to our core desires.
A ceasefire or stoppage in violence does not necessarily mean all is well. A break in hostility has often been the precursor to even more violence taking place between peoples and nations.
God’s Vision: Abundant Shalom
According to the vision presented by the Hebrew Scriptures, human beings were originally created to live in and oversee a world full of shalom.
Human beings are described in the Scriptures as being made in the image of God.
We have this intrinsic dignity, honor, value, and worth bestowed to us by God. As his images, we are called to reflect God’s goodness, wisdom, love, and authority into the world he created.
So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” - Genesis 1:27-28
The Lord also ensures the ongoing care and provision for the creatures he has made.
Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. - Genesis 1:29-30
God is presented here in these texts as a generous host, who ensures that there is more than enough for everybody.
Humans, animals, and the world flourishing together in unity with the one true and Living God at the center of it all — this was and remains the Creator’s glorious vision for humanity.
The God of the Bible intends for the world he made to become increasingly abundant in shalom— a multiplying of love, life, security, harmony, and joy as humanity and the world operates according to his wise design.
But this is not the world we experience today.
Shalom Forsaken
The Scriptures reveal to us that the peace we originally had from and with God was shattered when we chose to live apart from the Creator God, the source of life and goodness.
We see this reality demonstrated even in the people of Israel, the very people God chose and formed a covenant with to be his means of restoring shalom to all peoples of the world.
Later on in the Old Testament, we will read about the rise of many false prophets who proclaim “shalom, shalom” upon the people of Israel when they were in fact breaking shalom in every way possible.
True prophets like Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Jeremiah constantly reminded Israel, their priests, and kings that there could be no true shalom if they continued to ignore God’s ways, exploit their neighbor, worship false gods, and commit social injustice.
“There is no shalom, says my God, for the wicked.” - Isaiah 57:21
Truly there can be no peace when there is no justice. These two themes were never meant to be disconnected from each other in the biblical vision.
Now Israel’s story is really a microcosm of our overall human condition.
Human history at large has often been an unwinding account of war, conflict, instability, death, and no shalom. We see an absence of shalom between tribes, people groups, nations, leaders and their citizens.
To reflect again on our own time:
When entire generations of families are being wiped out through assortments of bombs and firearms, can a society dare open its mouth to say “all is well”?
When children are being exploited for the sake of economic profit, can a society presume to be a beacon of shalom?
When millions of people are struggling to pay rent and are unemployed, can a society claim to be at shalom?
So what is the shalom that the Creator God offers humanity in the Christian tradition?
The Shalom of God: Jesus of Nazareth
Jesus of Nazareth comes in fulfillment of ancient biblical promises and prophecies to restore shalom to our world. He arrives to fulfill the mission of Israel.
In the person of Jesus, the living God himself becomes human, sharing in our joys but also our sorrows. He becomes human to free us all from our bondage to corruption and every force of anti-shalom.
The scene that Jesus steps into in the first century is one that has “Roman shalom” but yet is still full of chaos, death, political upheaval, and more.
Jesus goes around teaching and proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom to all, but especially to the poor and marginalized of Israel.
His shalom is offered to the outcasts and the ones that are considered too far gone by the religious elite of his time.
He confronts evil not only in word but also in deed. He is constantly healing all those oppressed by the devil and yet is often accused of disturbing the peace by the religious leaders of Israel. They conspire to have him killed in collaboration with the Roman imperial forces.
On the eve of his coming betrayal, torture, and crucifixion on a Roman cross, he tells his disciples
“Shalom (peace) I leave with you. My shalom (peace) I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” - John 14:27
Jesus has a peace to give and it is not one that is attained through violence, deception, suppression, and exploitation of the poor and afflicted, as we see too often in human history.
The ultimate shalom that Jesus will give humanity comes surprisingly through his own crucifixion at the hands of the Romans.
Shalom and A Roman Cross
Now the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth was a whirlwind of anti-shalom, in every possible way:
Physical torture of the highest degree
Mental and emotional trauma
his closest friends abandoning and betraying him at his greatest hour of trial as they deny any association with him
a coalition of the powers of the Roman Empire and envious religious leaders that were determined, despite his innocence, to see him crucified and defeated, like any other revolutionary deemed a threat to Roman supremacy
the mockery and slander that spewed forth from the crowds
the sexual shame he endures as he was stripped naked (as many victims of Roman crucifixion would be) and his clothes were divided amongst the Roman soldiers and bet upon (a kind of anti-shalom)
his beloved mother helpless as she watches him bleeding out struggling to breathe
And yet the audacious Christian claim is that the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth was not the fatal obstacle to God’s mission, but was actually the very outworking of his intricate plan to restore shalom to all humanity.
In Isaiah 53 (you should really read the whole chapter), Verse 5 says,
the punishment that brought us shalom was on him
The prophet Isaiah foresees that the shalom Israel and all of humanity had been needing was going to come through an anointed servant taking upon himself our sins and evil—our anti-shalom.
Peace being restored to humanity would not be established by God destroying his enemies but rather through an act of sacrificial love— allowing his enemies to do their worst, absorbing all their—and our—evil into Jesus Christ on the Cross.
Jesus is buried in a tomb, but three days later, he rises from the dead in victory, having all power in his hands as the Lord of heaven and earth.
Isaiah had prophesied that Jesus’ death would not be in vain for Jesus would “see the light of life”, “see his offspring and prolong his days”, and that “the will of the Lord would prosper in his hands”.
Even death, the ultimate breaker of our peace, could not defeat Jesus of Nazareth.
Jesus now offers his resurrected life as a gift to anyone who would freely receive it.
The Apostle Paul and the Shalom of Jesus
In the New Testament, we have the letter of Romans, which was written by the apostle Paul.
The Apostle Paul writes to the Christians in Rome,
Having been declared righteous by faith, we now have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. - Romans 5:8
The peace/shalom that Paul talks about here is not simply humanity being brought to a neutral relationship with God but rather our full adoption as his beloved children.
We can have our sins forgiven and be in right standing with God not because of our righteousness but because of Jesus.
This is not merely the end to enmity, but the presence of abundance, wholeness, prosperity, and joy between us and God. This shalom includes the removal of all shame and guilt, washed away through the blood of Christ Jesus.
The lack of shalom in much of our world is often due to a never-ending cycle of vengeance, but when we grasp the shalom of God rightly at the cross of Christ, the cross will break the cycle.
It is in the context and power of the Christian faith that teachings like “Love your enemy”, “Pray for those who persecute you”, “Forgive others their transgressions”, “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult” have any coherence and possibility in our world.
The peace we receive from God should not only change our lives, but should be poured out into the world around us.
Shalom Today and Forever
Jesus taught his disciples
“Blessed are the peace-makers, for they shall be called sons of God.” - Matthew 5:9
If we have rightly understood and experienced the shalom of Jesus, we will become the kind of people that seek to perpetuate shalom in every part of our world today where it is not found.
We will
look to be ambassadors of reconciliation
direct our attention to the plight of refugees caught up between brutal wars
care and advocate for immigrants who are caught between a rock and hard place
seek shalom within our familial relationships and communities
be discontent with thousands of homeless people on the streets and work, petition for better conditions and systemic change
recognize, serve, and advocate for victims of all kinds of trauma— racial, sexual, mental, and emotional.
Pursuing peace in its fullest biblical sense—shalom— would not only lead us to petition for an end to injustice but for all that is broken to be made whole.
When we receive the peace of God through Jesus Christ, we are then called by God to live as peace-makers in our world.
Some of the greatest tragedies in human history have occurred when professing Christians have lost sight of this call.
Now from a Christian perspective, human history will not be forever captive to unending cycles of violence, oppression, and death. Because of Jesus’ victory on the cross, the cycle has been dealt a fatal blow. Complete shalom will one day be our reality at the return of Jesus.
The Scripture declare Jesus of Nazareth to be the Prince of Peace who will return to bring peace forever more.
It is said about Jesus:
Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever. - Isaiah 9:7
And in his Kingdom
Every trampling boot of battle
and the bloodied garments of war
will be burned as fuel for the fire. - Isaiah 9:5
and
we will beat our swords into plows
and our spears into pruning knives.
Nation will not take up the sword against nation,
and they will never again train for war. - Isaiah 2:4
God has said about this world:
I will appoint peace as your government
and righteousness as your overseers.
Violence will never again be heard of in your land;
devastation and destruction
will be gone from your borders. - Isaiah 60:17
What we will see and experience on that blessed day will bring light to our eyes, healing to our hearts, and satisfaction to our spirits forever:
The wolf will live with the lamb,
and the leopard will lie down with the goat;
the calf and young lion and fatling will be together,
and a little child will lead them.
The cow will graze with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
The infant will play by the cobra’s den,
and the toddler will reach into the viper’s nest.
They will neither harm nor destroy
on all My holy mountain,
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD
as the sea is full of water. - Isaiah 11:6-9